Malay Mail 21 June 2020
KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — Health Minister Dr Adham Baba has assured the public that the Ministry of Health, the backbone of the nation’s fight against Covid-19, remains a united front.
In an exclusive interview with Malay daily Berita Harian, Dr Adham said rumours of a strained relationship between him and Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah should stop.
Adham said any disruption or bickering will cause the nation to enter a “war” with Covid-19 in a disadvantageous situation.
“To conduct a ‘war’ against Covid-19, we cannot ‘bicker’. Our army must be on the same line. There must be a delegation of work. Most important is to see the policies being introduced.
“As a new minister appointed on March 10, I don’t have a lot of time to look at policies within the ministry. My focus is to prepare my generals to fight Covid-19.
“Alhamdullilah, I received cooperation throughout the ministry but under me, there is also a director-general and a chief secretary who play a key role,’’ he said.
Dr Adham said apart from himself, another person responsible for disseminating the right information is the ministry’s director-general.
As such, he had asked for Dr Noor Hisham to work closely with the media to manage the communication aspect as well as being the main spokesperson.
“I have asked the director-general of health to provide the latest data as a means to manage any trepidation due to inaccurate information. The director-general of health also ensures that I conduct my responsibilities in an accurate manner in implementing the strategy.
“As the commander, I am the backbone of the ministry. Because of that, when the time comes, I will face the people when I answer in parliament. The health director-general will not answer in Parliament, it is up to the minister and the deputy minister,” he said.
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